National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Joins P21

Partnership Boosts Effort to Prepare Teachers to Support 21st Century Learning

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) welcomes the addition of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to the leading national organization advocating for 21st century readiness for every student. Ron Thorpe, National Board president and CEO, will represent the organization on P21's Strategic Council.

"We are delighted to add the National Board's strong voice to P21's Strategic Council," said Frank Gallagher, Chair of P21 and Executive Director of Cable in the Classroom. "Ron has been a major advocate of 21st century skills for many years, and we are pleased to be working with him in highlighting the best teaching practices and educational leadership."

The National Board is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating the status, voice, and role of accomplished teachers in shaping the teaching profession and raising student achievement. Since 1987, more than 100,000 teachers in all 50 states have achieved National Board Certification, a rigorous, peer-reviewed and performance-based process that certifies that these educators – similar to their counterparts in law and medicine -- have met the profession's highest standards. Nearly 50 percent of NBCTs work in high poverty schools. More than 15 percent of NBCTs are certified in STEM-related fields.

"Every student in America needs to be prepared to succeed in today's global economy, and every teacher needs to have the support and tools necessary to help their students meet that goal," said Thorpe. "I am thrilled to be representing the National Board at P21. After 25 years of setting the highest standards for accomplished teaching, we are looking forward to working with P21 on its efforts to prepare and support all teachers in meeting this important challenge."

As a catalyst organization in the 21st Century Skills Movement, P21 works with education leaders, the business community, and state and federal policymakers to ensure that the U.S. education system equips students with rigorous content knowledge and the skills they need for college, career, and citizenship.

About the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (www.nbpts.org):

The mission of the National Board is to advance student learning and achievement by establishing the definitive standards and systems for certifying accomplished educators, providing programs and advocating policies that support excellence in teaching and leading, and engaging National Board certified teachers and leaders in that process.

The National Board seeks to elevate the status, voice, and role of accomplished teachers in shaping a true profession. This includes 1) raising public awareness with respect to the cognitive complexity, collaborative, and expertise-driven nature of teachers' work; 2) setting higher standards for entry and advancement in the profession; and 3) recognizing accomplished teaching through a rigorous professional certification process comparable to those found in other premier professions, such as medicine, engineering and law.

About P21: P21 is a national organization that advocates for 21st century readiness for every student. As the United States continues to compete in a global economy that demands innovation, P21 and its members provide tools and resources to help the U.S. education system keep up by fusing the 3Rs and 4Cs (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration and creativity and innovation). While leading districts and schools are already doing this, P21 advocates for local, state and federal policies that support this approach for every school.